LOS ANGELES — The tabloid frenzy over Lindsay Lohan may have given the actress a new and potent defense as she fights charges that she stole a necklace from a Los Angeles jewelry store: The store that reported the incident to the Los Angeles Police Department has sold to the media video surveillance showing Lohan with the necklace.
Still photos from the video appeared on the “Entertainment Tonight” website, and the video is to be played on a website run by a firm distributing the tape.
“Many individuals want to be able to see the video streams from the jewelry store’s surveillance cameras, and we have obtained the exclusive license for them,” said a message placed on the website that plans to stream the video. “The tapes speak for themselves.”
The sale of the tape underscores yet again the sometimes uncomfortable nexus of Hollywood’s celebrity culture and L.A.’s criminal-justice system.
It’s unclear exactly what the video shows — and what impact its sale and broadcast will have. Lohan faced felony charges for allegedly stealing the $2,500 necklace — the most serious in a string of her recent run-ins with the law.
Sources said the tape is a key piece of evidence but not the only one. Paparazzi photos taken days after the alleged theft also show the actress wearing the necklace. The case file also includes statements from people inside the store at the same time as Lohan, said the sources, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified.
Some legal experts said it could give ammunition to Lohan’s defense team, who can now argue the jewelry store had a financial incentive to accuse Lohan of theft. She is back in court Thursday.
